


Timeless

by the_impossible_river



Category: British Actor RPF
Genre: AU, F/M, Mattex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-07
Updated: 2013-09-07
Packaged: 2017-12-25 21:46:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/957948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_impossible_river/pseuds/the_impossible_river
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU- Matt wants nothing more than to go with Alex to her senior prom, but complications arise when someone gets in his way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Timeless

“Don’t be ridiculous Kaz, I can’t just go and ask her like that!” Matt exclaims loudly, his mouth full of spaghetti and tomato sauce. He quickly glances over his shoulder to see if anyone heard, but the cafeteria is buzzing with noise and excitement and no one except those at his table seem to be paying much attention to him.  He turns back and looks pointedly at Karen, who is sitting next to him.

“Of course you can, you raggedy boy,” Karen says, hitting him lightly on the shoulder. “She’s bound to be expecting it anyway.”

Matt nearly chokes on a noodle. “Expect- _expecting_ it? Why on Earth would Alex Kingston be _expecting me_ to ask her to her senior prom?”

Jenna and Arthur, who are sitting across the table from Matt and Karen, turn to look at one another and then back at Matt. “Well,” Arthur begins. “You’ve _only_ been making puppy dog eyes at her every single time you see her. You always talk about her.”

“And you take any and every opportunity to spend time with her,” Jenna chips in. Matt opens his mouth to protest, but she quickly shushes him. “Don’t pretend. Everyone- everyone being myself, Arthur and Karen- knows that you joined the archaeology club just so you could get closer to her and spend time with her.”

“N-no,” Matt hesitates, his right hand flailing awkwardly in the air. “I…um…well, I’m very passionate about…um, history and ancient remains…and, um, civilizations…” he notices that everyone is watching him, looking rather amused. “I should just shut up now,” he mumbles, grumpily. “God…she hasn’t noticed has she?”

“I don’t think so,” Karen says, jabbing at a piece of lettuce with her fork. “Jen?" 

“If she has, she hasn’t mentioned it to me,” Jenna shrugs her shoulders. Arthur, Karen, Jenna, Alex and Matt are a tight-knit group of friends, but Jenna’s known Alex for the longest time and is probably the closest with her. “I mean sure, Matt joining _archaeology_ club was a bit of a red flag, but everything else he’s done seems to be pretty normal. He does like drama, so joining the club was like a natural progression.”

They eat in silence for a moment, and Matt concentrates on his plate of worm-like spaghetti Bolognese that is drowned in a sea of very red, bloodlike tomato sauce. He can see why Karen likes to call it ‘worm massacre’. As much as he tries to concentrate on his food, his thoughts keep going back to Alex. Stupid, frustrating, maddening Alex who he’d been in love with for the last three years. He hated himself for not having the courage to go up to her and ask her out- he was just too scared that she would say no. Gosh, he hoped that she didn’t _know_ he liked her. Not yet. 

Eventually, Arthur pipes up. “Speaking of the Kingston,” he says. “Where is she?”

Jenna swallows a mouthful of worm massacre before replying. “I actually don’t know. I kind of lost her after Bio. But you know Alex,” she waves her hand in the air dismissively. “She’s involved in _so_ many things. Why, for all we know, she’s probably out there creating schemes to save the impoverished children in Africa, or winning a thousand Oscars or…”

“I think she said she went to the drama room to practice her RADA audition piece,” Karen interrupts Jenna’s tirade. “She has her second audition this weekend, you know.”

"Oh, of course,” Jenna says, somewhat dejected at the idea that Alex could be doing something that seemed so simple.

“I don’t know why she needs to practice,” Matt says, enthusiastically. “She’s bloody fantastic. RADA should be begging her to go there.”

“And you wonder why she wouldn’t expect you to ask her to prom,” Karen rolls her eyes. “Look at you, always complimenting her.” 

“Well it’s true!” Matt retorts.

“It is actually,” Arthur adds thoughtfully. “Alex is a brilliant actress. If anyone should get past the second round of auditions, it’s her.”

“Don’t worry, you will too,” Karen says to Arthur with a smile. Karen and Matt are only juniors, but Alex, Jenna and Arthur are all seniors and the latter is desperate to get into RADA. It’s all he’s been able to talk about for the past few months. Put him and Alex in a room together and they wouldn’t shut up about drama school. “You’re brilliant, you are. Seriously. Best Macbeth I’ve seen in a long time.”

Arthur blushes a bright red, his face beginning to resemble a ripe cherry tomato. “Stop it Karen,” he mumbles under his breath, clearly flattered. Jenna raises an eyebrow, amused, and gives Matt a knowing look. Karen and Arthur are so clearly made for each other- it’s just a matter of time until they get together. And if they don’t…well, Jenna likes to quote her favourite Shakespeare play. _If it is so, then loving goes by haps. Some cupid kills with arrows, some with traps._ She and Alex have thousands of let’s-get-Karen-and-Arthur-together plans and Matt has long since realized that if Alex asks him to join them, he won’t be able to say no.

“You and Alex are both getting in and going to RADA together, there’s no doubt about it,” Matt mutters. “You’re sure of it, I’m sure of it. The only thing I’m not sure of is what _I_ want to do now that being a pro footie player is out.” 

“Aw Matt,” Karen gives him a sympathetic half-hug. “I know that’s what you really wanted to do. It’s a pity about your injury, it really is, but I’m sure you’ll find something else that you’re really passionate about.”

“Yeah, like archaeology!” Jenna pipes up, and the entire table dissolves into laughter. Even Matt laughs, his mood considerably lighter now.

“Speaking of archaeology,” Karen says, looking at the entrance to the cafeteria that still has several people streaming through, even though they only have twenty minutes of lunch left. “Here comes the archaeology queen herself. Ooh, and would you just _look_ at who’s with her!”

Matt quickly searches the crowd and has no difficulty in finding Alex. The mass of blonde curls that frame her face are distinctive and make her hard to miss in a large group of people.  She is immersed in a conversation with a guy, and Matt can only see the back of his head. He cranes his neck to get a look at the person’s face, and once he sees him, his heart sinks.

It’s Ralph Fiennes.

Everybody knows Ralph Fiennes. It’s impossible not to- Ralph is omnipresent. He’s the captain of the basketball and volleyball team, serves as the deputy head of the drama club- much to Arthur’s chagrin, as he had applied for the same position. In addition to that, Ralph is on the executive team of the archaeology club. And as if that wasn’t enough, he just so happens to be head boy and has already gained admission into LAMDA, although he’s trying for RADA. 

It’s common knowledge that Ralph spends most of his free time with different…companions, so to say. He’s known to be quite the player – both on the fiend and off- and it doesn’t help that most of the female population of school – Karen, Jenna, and possibly even Alex included – find him very attractive. Most people liked Ralph, but he had always rubbed Matt the wrong way. Matt thinks that Ralph has an inflated ego and doesn’t have anyone else’s best interests in mind.

He watches the conversation between Ralph and Alex intently and has half a mind to go and interrupt them, just so that he can steal Alex for himself. But he doesn’t- trying to convince himself that he has nothing to be worried about. After all, Alex is head of the drama club and archaeology club, and Ralph’s involved in both of those particular activities. They’re probably just talking about school things. _Right?_ He hopes.

Alex smiles, waves goodbye to Ralph and heads over to the table occupied by Matt and the others. Matt suddenly becomes very interested in his worm massacre, not wanting to appear as if he had been watching her with Ralph for the past five minutes. On the other hand, Jenna and Karen have chosen to be less subtle. They stare, wide-eyed at Alex as she pulls out a chair next to Matt and sits down. A few locks of her hair tickle Matt’s arm and he tries assiduously to appear unaffected.

“Hello darlings,” she says, as she pulls out a packed lunch of salad from her bag. She notices Jenna and Karen’s eyes fixed on her. “What? What did I do?”

“Nothing,” Jenna snaps out of it and Karen follows her lead. “Nothing.”

Alex narrows her eyes. “If you want to say something, just spit it out.” 

“Oh no, it’s really nothing,” Jenna waves her hand dismissively. “Just wanted to know what Ralph Fiennes wanted. You know, just curious.”

“Yeah, he’s a hot package, that one,” Karen says. Jenna glares at her before returning her attention to Alex. Matt looks up from his spaghetti. He’s curious about the answer to this too and he hopes it is something completely innocent. However, his hopes are dashed when Alex blushes a bright red.

“O-oh…” she stutters, which Matt knows is _not_ a good thing. This is Alex Kingston. Alex Kingston speaks fluidly at all times. She never stutters. “Well, um…Ralph was just talking to me about…well, you know…he was just.”

Jenna raises an eyebrow. Alex takes a deep breath and decides to just get it over with. There is no harm in telling them. Everyone at this table is incredibly close with her and she trusts them with her life, let alone this tiny little thing that doesn’t even matter that much- or so she thinks. “He asked me to prom.”

Matt’s heart falls out of his rib cage, through his stomach and hits the bottom of his feet. He can’t believe it. Ralph Fiennes has asked Alex to prom. There is no way that he will have a chance now. He simply can’t beat Ralph.

The others are equally shocked. Both Arthur and Karen have clamped hands over their mouths and Jenna’s eyes look as if they’re about to jump out of her head.

“What?” Jenna exclaims loudly. “What did you say?”

 Matt hopes that Alex didn’t say yes, and is thankful when she replies: “I told him that I’d have to think about it.”

“Why didn’t you just say yes?” Karen says before she remembers that Matt wants to ask Alex. Ralph might be super hot and everything, but Matt was her friend and she wasn’t going to let him down. 

“I don’t know,” Alex says. “I mean, Ralph’s a great guy and we’re pretty good friends. I guess I just want to think about it a little more, you know. Maybe I will say yes. I don’t think I’m going to get any more offers.” She laughs.

 “Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about _that_ ,” Arthur steps in quickly. “A girl like you is going to get _tons_ of offers.” He winks at Matt.

 “Thanks Arthur,” says Alex, smiling. “I really don’t know though. What do you think, Matt?”

Matt looks at Alex who is giving him an expectant look. Everyone else is silent, waiting for his answer, and he really doesn’t know what to do or say. He knows how he really feels- he doesn’t want Alex to go with Ralph to prom. He wants to ask her. But he knows that he can’t tell her that now- this probably isn’t the best time anyway. “I dunno,” he finally says. “It’s really your decision. Um…well, I’ve got to go to the library,” he makes up an excuse to leave. “Do a bit of Bio homework.” 

 “I’ll come with you,” Karen says quickly. They get up, grab their bags and wave goodbye to everyone. Alex looks a little confused. In her opinion, Matt’s acting a little strangely and she’s not quite sure why. She resolves to ask him about it later.

As they walk out of the cafeteria, Karen reprimands Matt. “I told you! I told you that you should have asked her earlier! But no, no one listens to Kazza.”

“Shut up,” Matt mumbles. “It’s bad enough already without you rubbing it in. I’ll ask her after-school, I promise.” 

 “Sorry,” Karen says, shrugging. “But you really should have. Now someone’s already asked her- and it’s _Ralph Fiennes_ , no less. You’d better hope that you still have a chance.”

 


End file.
